Marcos on Code of Conduct with Vietnam: 'We're pretty much there'

''We're pretty much there.'' 

This was the response of President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. regarding having a code of conduct with Vietnam.

Marcos told Palace reporters in Hanoi that a part of this agreement with Vietnam was the Memorandum of Understanding between the countries' coast guards.

''‘Yun ‘yung Memorandum of Understanding na ating ginagawa between our two coastguards pati ‘yung mga plano na magkakaroon ng mga joint cruises, joint exercises, this year, 2024,'' Marcos said. 
 
''So talagang--- ‘yung sinasabi ko noon na magkaroon ng agreement, kung hindi natin matapos ang code of conduct with ASEAN and China, ay sabi ko eh di gawin natin na bilateral na muna ang members of ASEAN," explained Marcos.

(If we will not finish the code of conduct with ASEAN and China, then let's have a bilateral (Code of Conduct) with ASEAN members.)

"Para naman hindi na natin kailangang alalahanin na magkakaproblema tayo sa Vietnam, magkakaproblema tayo sa Brunei, magkakaproblema tayo sa Malaysia etcetera, etcetera,'' he added. 

(So that we will not have a problem with Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia etc.)

The Philippines and Vietnam have agreed to boost cooperation among their coastguards and to prevent untoward incidents in the South China Sea. 

In his bilateral meeting with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong, Marcos stressed that Vietnam remains the sole strategic partner of the Philippines in the ASEAN region.

''I am hopeful that this meeting will provide fresh opportunities to reinforce our bilateral relations with the aim of fostering peace and prosperity between our two countries and in the region,'' Marcos said.

''While maritime cooperation is the foundation of our strategic partnership, our bilateral relations have spanned various areas of cooperation, such as in defense, trade, agriculture, and culture, amongst others,'' he added.

Both Hanoi and Manila have had run-ins with China's coastguard in the past, but altercations have been frequent in the last year between vessels of China and US-ally the Philippines, adding strain to deteriorating relations.

Marcos on Tuesday said that the South China Sea remains to be a ''point of contention.'' 

He stressed that there continues to be the undertaking of ''unilateral and illegal actions that violate our sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction, and exacerbate tensions in the South China Sea.''

Marcos also said that the  Philippine government is willing to work with like-minded nations, such as Vietnam, in pushing for a rules-based international order in the South China Sea. He also expressed a preference for having a bilateral code of conduct with ASEAN member states. —VAL, GMA Integrated News